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Friday, April 9, 2010

Pop Quiz! (Oh, Stop Bawling and Just Answer)

Okay, so I had something totally different planned for today. Wrote the post way last week and all that.

But I've been reading a lot of queries over the past four days (conference coming up -- yikes!) and I just have one question for you.

Question: What's the purpose of a query letter?

You tell me.

I know what I think it is. I want to repeat it over and over like one of those never-ending hashtags you see on twitter that no one can figure out.

But I won't. I want you to tell me. What's the purpose of the query letter?

If you don't know, maybe that's why writing the darn thing is so freaking hard. I mean, srsly.

Oh, and I may or may not use what you say in my presentation. Just so you know. *wink*

And yes, I'll tell you what I think later.

One more thing: If you have a second, head over to Lisa and Laura's blog. They have this amazing (anonymous) editor who's starting a blog (The Book Sniper) and WANTS your QUESTIONS! So YOU can be the POP QUIZZER over there! Go, go, go!

To make me lose hair prematurely???? Nah *waving palm in the air* Just kidding. Purpose: to super glue an agent/editors eyes to your words so that removing their gaze would be painful. (Did I scare any of them away??)

Give them a taste of what you wrote, who you are, and what you have to offer. Concise. That was my serious answer.

The query letter is supposed to hook the reader (an agent or editor) and make them want to read more. But it's also a business letter and needs to be treated like one. I don't know if that's your answer, but it's what I've figured out after a year of blogging :)

Other than an instrument of torture? Hmmmm.The query letter should show voice, be concise and well written. It should tempt the agent to read your first pages. What happens from there is down to your writing :)

an inquiry from a writer to an editor of a magazine, newspaper, etc., regarding the acceptability of or interest in an idea for an article, news story, or the like: usually presented in the form of a letter that outlines or describes the projected piece

from dictionary.com

But the purpose? To create interest and persuade the agent that they want to see more.

I've heard to make it sound like the back of a book cover. An agent once told me that sometimes that's what they use for the back of the cover. The first paragraph should be a one-sentence summary to pique interest.

And I loved your post about write it as the character and then to change it to the 3rd-person.

Recently, I read to mention readership. Even if we want it to appeal to a wider # of readers, who would the core readers be?

And if your book has a unique angle - especially in a popular subject (vampires anyone?), play up that angle.

It's a bit like approaching someone to ask them on a date. They're going to look at you and the way you present yourself, listen to your voice, absorb your mannerisms, and find out just enough about you to form an opinion. If they like the whole package, they'll say yes--to a first date, anyway. Or maybe just coffee, if they're not quite as hooked yet (maybe the way you dress is kind of boring, but they thought that story you told about your mum was really quirky and fun).

To show off them thar writin' chops, hook 'em with that varmint of a premise, ride and point out YER book's particklar space on them pesky store bookshelves - and lasso that agent so's they want to go ahead and rope more of yer pages:D

A letter to entice the agent/editor to read the proposal, which in turn will make them read the chapters, which will make them request a full, which will cause them to say, "Where has she been all our lives?", which will lead to fame and stardom!

A-hem. Perhaps I've gotten carried away. That happens from time to time ;)

My purpose it to show the hook, my characters's goals, the complications and the stakes - all through well written sentences in the voice/tone of my writing. To show that I'm professional and I've done my research.

I'm leaving my comment without looking at the others so I can't be accused of cheating :).

The query letter is the resume of the writing world. Only instead of work experience, you're teasing book content. It's also the personal ad: I need to say something in one page or less that gets you to hit reply and ask for more. Except it's more professional (don't worry, I'm not putting SWF ready to mingle in my query...maybe).

The agent is a fish. Your query is the hook and the bait. It's very specific for that species of fish (read: don't sent YA fiction query to nonfiction agent). If the query is yummy, the agent bites. If it's fabulous, then the hook sinks in and you've got yourself a fine lookin' agent!

Query letters...hmmm. The purpose of a query letter is to entice an agent/editor into wanting to read your book - to make them zip off an email immediately, requesting to see the full, sure they will die of anticipation as they wait for it. *sigh* A girl can dream, right?! :-)

To get an agent or editor interested in your MS---so interested they request to see it.

I think the other stuff is all part and parcel to that reason. It won't happen if you don't write it well and follow instructions (as per how the editor/agent wants it submitted). But maybe that's just me. ;)

Oh boy, why am I afraid I'm going to get this wrong and be the "and somehow this girl got an agent" example in your presentation. (Or OMG, you'll tell Laura when you see her! Ahhhh!!!! Hehe...paranoid much?)

Um, I would say a query is supposed to tell the agent about your project and tell them a little about you, but the MAIN purpose is to get them interested enough in both to request some pages. I also think it's important to show that you're professional, and that you can follow simple instructions (since each agent has slightly different querying preferences) And of course if you can reflect your writing "voice" into it a little, all the better.

Purpose of a query letter would be to give a publisher or agent a taste of your book and leave them wanting more. Ultimately, the purpose is really about getting published! Or at least, that's what this "babe in the woods" thinks.

Thanks for the links and good luck next week at the conference! Have a wonderful weekend.

I have a feeling this is one of those questions where the ask-er knows already that the answer-er is going to guess wrong ;) but I'm going to go ahead and take the bait. Isn't the purpose of the query letter to make the agent want to read your book?

When I think of a query letter I think of it as a marketing tool. You want to to be an apt representation of your book as well as your writing voice.

I got my degree in marketing... so I guess that makes me think more along those lines. But you are pitching your book. You want it to be catchy and hook the agent... but you don't want to promise something that just isn't in your book. If you do the second they read a partial you will be getting the boot.

Even with all of the pitching, you also need to make certain that you know the person you are addressing the query too. They need to know why you want to work with them and why they should want to work with you. Heck if you are going to forge the publishing road with someone you better darn well hope that you like the person.

For some reason I'm getting the picture of those nots you pass in junior high that say. I like you will you go out with me please check yes or no. LOL That makes me sound all kinds of immature.

If you quote me as a poor example don't hold it against my parents... they really did try to educate me properly... I was just a poor student... :D

Fun question! The purpose is to get them to read more, whether it is by using an engaging voice, showing credibility, showing marketing potential, or connecting. Just get them to request and read more.

I'm late to the party here, but for me, a query's purpose is to generate interest in the novel. It's cold calling an agent in hopes of 'selling' your story, or, to stay with the salesman analogy, to get the agent to ask for a 'quote'. (partial or full)

A good query should also be an example of your writing, or voice.

After piquing their interest, the rest is all about the manuscript itself. Just like a car salesman's pitch isn't going to get you to buy a car if the wheels fall off when you test drive it, a great query isn't going to get an agent if your plot falls apart.

The goal for a query is to get someone to want to read the whole story. You can't expect to sell a book unless you can convince them that they want to read the whole thing. So if you are trying to sell your story in your query, you're putting the cart before the horse. You have to convince the recipient of the query that they need/want to read your ms...

Love these answers. :D I'm going to say the query letter is where you put your protagonist's goal, motivation, and conflict, which may or may not (depending how you write it) get an agent interested in your work. Or something like that, lol. :D

I read on Suz's blog (Shooting Stars) a line that went like..."How come the novel comes pouring out of me at force speed but I can't write a synop to save my life?" that's a paraphrase - but it stuck w/ me because it IS so hard to put your story in a nutshell.

You have a gift for that and I love to see you helping and sharing that gift. I pray to the Sweet Lord that I never have to write a &*$@! query again!

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